Pivots: Pivotal Pathways and Inclusive On-Ramps to Careers in Biomanufacturing

支点：生物制造职业的关键途径和包容性入口

• 批准号: 2322714
• 负责人: Christine Bolzan
• 金额: $ 99.96万
• 依托单位: Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2322714&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Pivots; Pivotal; Pathways; Inclusive; Ramps

This project's significance lies in its ability to provide supportive hands-on, experiential education in the life sciences and biotechnology fields, providing on-ramps to underserved and underrepresented individuals previously unable to access STEM opportunities, thus enabling substantial career pivots. The inability to meet the growing demand for biotechnicians weakens the nation's position as the global bioeconomy leader and poses national security risks. Through a certificate program and upskilling courses with robust support services that enable success, the project will increase employability, wage potential, and career growth for up to 180 adults over two years. This serves the national interest by promoting the progress of science, advancing, and supporting education and diversity. The project also contributes to the advancement in the biotechnology field and benefits society by producing professionals for the growing biomanufacturing industry. Additionally, the project fosters a more inclusive scientific community and provides an example of innovative, hands-on learning for the adult vocational learner. It establishes a framework for closing a workforce gap while simultaneously addressing societal goals of promoting equity and increasing access for diverse learners.Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI), a 501c3 non-profit founded in 2013, addresses critical challenges facing our oceans, human health and the environment through innovative scientific research and education. GMGI operates the Gloucester Biotechnology Academy, whose 10-month biotechnology certificate program combines hands-on classroom and laboratory training with paid internships. GMGI prepares adults with no prior mathematics or science experience who are struggling to connect with college and career, to pivot into roles as laboratory technicians in life science and biotechnology fields. GMGI's proprietary curriculum allows participants to master standard lab practices and fundamental molecular biology techniques including DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing. A biomanufacturing workflow follows and participants prepare solutions, media and plates for growing cells, engineer bacterial cells to produce proteins of interest, generate cell banks and confirm productivity, demonstrate proficiency in batching, sampling and decontaminating fermentation processes, practice upstream and downstream processing and purification, and incorporate process analytical technologies to monitor mammalian cell cultures in single-use bioreactors. Students learn on industry-recommended equipment including thermocyclers, UV-Vis plate readers, NanoDrop/Qubit instruments, electrophoresis gel chambers, DNA sequencers, BioFlo fermenters, Celligen CLU single-use bioreactions, AKTA Pure column chromatography, and additional tools. In addition to technical coursework, students complete a career skills curriculum preparing them for the job search and professional laboratory environment. This project will increase outreach to move diverse and economically disadvantaged communities and includes robust wrap-around services for adult vocational learners including stipends, childcare and housing vouchers, technology and transportation, DEIA training, as well as resources for mental health services. The comprehensive curriculum taught by industry experts and experienced educators breaks barriers and will be a model to enable expansion and scalability, thereby closing important workforce gaps in the advanced manufacturing fields. Outcomes will be thoughtfully captured, monitored, and shared broadly through conferences and publications across research, education, and industry. This project aligns with the NSF ExLENT Program, funded by the NSF TIP and EDU Directorates, as it seeks to support experiential learning opportunities for individuals from diverse professional and educational backgrounds to increase their interest in, and their access to, career pathways in emerging technology fields.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目的重要性在于它能够在生命科学和生物技术领域提供支持性的实践和体验式教育，为以前无法获得STEM机会的服务不足和代表性不足的个人提供坡道，从而实现实质性的职业支点。无法满足对生物技术人员日益增长的需求，削弱了该国作为全球生物经济领导者的地位，并构成国家安全风险。通过证书课程和技能提升课程，以及支持成功的强大支持服务，该项目将在两年内为多达180名成年人提高就业能力，工资潜力和职业发展。这符合国家利益，促进科学进步，推进和支持教育和多样性。该项目还通过为不断发展的生物制造业培养专业人才，为生物技术领域的进步做出贡献，并造福社会。此外，该项目促进了一个更具包容性的科学界，并为成人职业学习者提供了一个创新的实践学习的例子。它建立了一个框架，以缩小劳动力差距，同时解决促进公平和增加不同学习者的机会的社会目标。格洛斯特海洋基因组学研究所（GMGI），成立于2013年的501 c3非营利组织，通过创新的科学研究和教育，解决我们的海洋，人类健康和环境面临的关键挑战。GMGI运营着格洛斯特生物技术学院，其为期10个月的生物技术证书课程将动手课堂和实验室培训与带薪实习相结合。GMGI为那些没有数学或科学经验的成年人做好准备，他们正在努力与大学和职业联系起来，以成为生命科学和生物技术领域的实验室技术人员。GMGI的专有课程允许参与者掌握标准实验室实践和基本分子生物学技术，包括DNA提取，扩增和测序。生物制造工作流程如下，参与者准备用于生长细胞的溶液，培养基和平板，工程细菌细胞以生产感兴趣的蛋白质，生成细胞库并确认生产力，证明在发酵，采样和净化发酵过程中的熟练程度，实践上游和下游加工和纯化，并将过程分析技术纳入一次性生物反应器中以监测哺乳动物细胞培养物。学生学习行业推荐的设备，包括热循环仪，紫外-可见板阅读器，NanoDrop/Qubit仪器，电泳凝胶室，DNA测序仪，BioFlo发酵罐，Celligen CLU一次性生物反应，AKTA纯柱色谱和其他工具。除了技术课程，学生完成职业技能课程，为求职和专业实验室环境做好准备。该项目将扩大外联，以推动多样化和经济弱势社区，并包括为成人职业学习者提供强有力的综合服务，包括津贴、儿童保育和住房券、技术和交通、DEIA培训以及心理健康服务资源。由行业专家和经验丰富的教育工作者教授的综合课程打破了障碍，将成为实现扩展和可扩展性的典范，从而缩小先进制造领域的重要劳动力差距。成果将通过跨研究、教育和行业的会议和出版物得到精心捕捉、监测和广泛分享。 该项目与由NSF TIP和EDU董事会资助的NSF ExLENT计划保持一致，因为它旨在为来自不同专业和教育背景的个人提供体验式学习机会，以增加他们对以下内容的兴趣和访问：该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，被认为值得支持和更广泛的影响审查标准。